Expanding Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Rural America

Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) Funds Initiatives

in Hard-to-Reach Communities

New York (March 5, 2021) - Many rural Americans have much worse access to addiction treatment and recovery services for opioid use disorder (OUD) than those living in suburbs or cities due to increased stigma, a dearth of trained providers, and a lack of social supports. The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) is seeking to expand access to OUD treatment and recovery services in rural communities by providing grants for training and supporting primary care providers, leveraging community paramedics to engage people in treatment, enlisting family members and social supports, and redesigning hospital care in partnership with patients with OUD.  

FORE grantees Allegheny Health Network, Cabin Creek Health System, the Foundation for Healthy Communities, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill together with the Mountain Area Health Education Center are developing and testing core components of what is needed to establish a systematic approach to expanding access to treatment in hard-to-reach rural communities. Read our latest Issue Brief for details.

“We are pleased to work with organizations that are finding innovative solutions to reach rural communities and overcome barriers to care for opioid use disorder,” said Ken Shatzkes, PhD, Senior Program Officer at FORE. “Our grantees are developing models of care that offer examples for other providers as well as for state leaders and national agencies.”

FORE
The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) was founded in 2018 as a private 501(c)(3) national, grant-making foundation focused on addressing the nation’s opioid crisis. FORE is committed to funding a diversity of projects contributing solutions to the crisis at national, state, and community levels. FORE’s mission is to convene and support partners advancing patient-centered, innovative, evidence-based solutions impacting people experiencing opioid use disorder, their families, and their communities. To date, FORE has awarded 34 grants totaling $11.1 million.